Banks and ATMs : Banks are open between 09:00 – 17:00 , you can find ATMs every corner in major cities. Approximate transaction charge is between 1%-4%

Public toilets : You can find public toilets in museums, sites, parks and gasoline stations. Most of them ask money (approx 1 TL ). There are two different type of toilet; “alaturka” and “ala franga” Alaturka toilet is a toilet used by squatting, rather than sitting. Alafranga toilet is as you know. Most of the public toilets provide touilets paper but you may keep your paper tissue. You can alway find clean water and soap there.

Homosexuality : Normally, homosexuality is acceptible in Turkey’s major cities. But other cities a little conservative about homosexuality. You can find more details here http://www.kaosgl.com/

Electricity : The whole country is available 220 volt current and 50 Hz cycle.Plugs are two entrances. Sometimes you need to use transformer or adaptor for your special electricity machines.

Working hours : Generally all government and municipality offices are open between 09:30 – 16:00, Shopping Malls and stores are open between 10:00 – 22:00

Emergency : Police dial 155, Emergency service dial 112, Fire department dial 110

Tipping : Tip ( bahsis ) is important portion of tourism worker’s income. You can give aproximate %5-10 of total amoun tip in restaurants, $€ 1 to hotel porters, $€ 10 to your driver, $€ 20-30 to your tour guide.

Credit cards : Most of stores accept Visa/Mastercards, but AMEX cards not commonly.

Post offices : Regular postal services in Istanbul and all Turkey are provided by PTT ( yellow background and black uppercase )All are open between 08:00 – 18:00 in major cities, other can be closed at 17:00.

Public holidays : January 1, April 23, May 1, May 19, August 30, October 29

Time : GMT + 2

Spring (March to May) and autumn (Mid of September to November) are the best seasons for visit to Turkey and Istanbul, the climate will be brilliant for tours in Istanbul and Anatolia. The Black Sea region can be visited between April and September. If you would like to enjoy sun & crystal clear sea, mid-June to September is perfect for the Aegean and Med coasts.

The best mobile operators in Turkey are Turkcell and Vodafone. You are able to use your GSM phone in Turkey if your local provider has enabled international roaming. However if you intend to stay in Turkey or make several calls, it may be preferable to buy a prepaid SIM card. Take your GSM phone and passport to a Turkish mobile phone shop where your new SIM will be registered along with your handset’s IMEI number and your personal information. Our country has very wide GSM coverage networks so you shouldn’t have any problems in the major cities and sites.